1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a collapsible crab trap and, more particularly, to a crab trap which has a center bait feeder for easy access to supply bait and weighted side panels to insure the immediate opening of those side panels to catch crabs.
2. Description of Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,968,758 and 1,383,992 are examples of the prior art. They have the disadvantage of being a square box-type design, and they are cumbersome to assemble because the top and bottom members are of different size measurements. Another disadvantage of crab traps of this type is that a square box profile does not appear to be as enticing to crabs as a profile which is rectangular in shape.
Still another disadvantage of these crab trap designs is in not having a bait holder or bait feeder cage. Accordingly, the bait must be tied to the mesh bottom panel, and the crabs have a tendency to pull off an entire piece of bait from the trap.
Finally, another disadvantage of crab traps of this type is that they show no stability in their open state when on the ocean bed in strong tidal currents, as they tend to roll around or turn over, thus preventing the crabs from entering the trap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,493 is a more recent example of the prior art. However, this patent has the disadvantage of not having a bait housing or bait feeder cage, whereas the bait is tied to the U-shaped support members or the bottom mesh panel, and the crabs have a tendency to pull off entire pieces of bait from the trap.
Another disadvantage of a crab trap of this type of design is that the side and end panels have a tendency to get stuck in the top member panel when in the closed position when lowering or pulling up the crab trap from the ocean water.
Still another disadvantage of this type of crab trap design is their lack of being stable in strong tidal currents, as they tend to roll around or turn over in those moving currents.